An important part of Systema training is escapes from strikes or pushes while staying on a spot (with the feet "glued" to a spot on the floor). This type of exercises is good for developing balance and control of your posture under continuous attack.

Typically, one would start working in pairs (single attacker), primarily because in this case the defender has a good idea where the attacker is and which direction the next push will likely come from. This is much less challenging than two or more concurrent attackers. Interestingly enough, when you gain some proficiency with this type of work, more attackers become easier to handle – if you get there, it is a good benchmark of your progress.

To start with the basics, the attacker walks around the defender and continuously pushes at different levels (neck, stomach, chest, back, thighs, etc.) and from different directions. The defender must put every effort in keeping his / her feet (or at least one foot) on the same spot while taking pushes and redirecting them on contact with the body (defender's arms are not engaged at this stage).